Commercial Possibilities

"I think it's better to refuse outright."

The Second Elder coughed twice, rarely offering an opinion. "Since we're going to cut ties, then we should cut them cleanly with one stroke."

"Otherwise, if we get involved with this Mercenary Group, we might draw the displeasure of his enemies, which could then affect the Xiao Clan's business."

"Exactly."

The Third Elder nodded, echoing him as he continued, "That's what I mean too. Though my thinking is a little different."

The second elder glanced at him sideways.

It wasn't often that he voiced an opinion, and now he had been smacked right back down. Wasn't this just dampening his enthusiasm?

"My thought is, since the initiative is in our hands, we should use trade to build good relations with most of them and stand on the same side as them."

The Third Elder's gaze drifted idly about, but his mouth did not stop. "After enough time, we'll basically be tied together. If disaster strikes in the future, we can use that relationship to ask them for help."

"The Third Elder makes sense."

Xiao Zhan nodded, then changed the direction of the conversation. "However, since we've already taken it this far, why not go one step further?"

The two elders could not help exchanging a glance, clearly understanding what Xiao Zhan meant.

Since they could already form a group, they might as well bind themselves even tighter—such as taking the lead in establishing a Mercenary Guild or something, so everyone could make money together.

For those Mercenary Groups, they could concentrate their strength to pressure outsiders who had not joined, and they could also make a few moves to suppress newcomers, reducing powerful competition.

As for the Xiao Clan, they would naturally gain quite a few more bargaining chips. Without needing to pay much, they could obtain a fixed, vast market and earn until their bowls overflowed.

"Clan Leader, isn't this a little too risky?"

The Second Elder frowned.

This kind of act was no different from staking out territory and dividing spheres of influence, directly setting the pattern of this cluster of cities.

As for whether it could be done, there was nothing much to doubt.

Other than the Xiao Clan, which force could wholesale high-quality low-tier medicinal pills? And among those lofty alchemists, how many would be willing to spend time and energy refining so many useless things?

Retail was cheap and high-quality; wholesale was plentiful with few defective goods.

For Mercenary Groups, which had many low-level cannon fodder and mainly swept through the mountains, the Xiao Clan was simply the chosen partner.

Besides, it wasn't as if they couldn't bring out slightly higher-tier goods.

"That's right! Those families have long had complaints. In my view, it won't be long before they take action."

The Third Elder seemed to have seen through everything. "Even those Dou Ling experts are watching this place."

"Why would this be the thing we should worry about most..." the Second Elder, who had finally stood in the upper atmosphere, grumbled. "And you call yourself the chief of external affairs? You didn't even think of that."

The Third Elder froze, his expression changing slightly.

Clearly, he had also realized the seriousness of it. "Clan Leader, should we...?"

Xiao Zhan raised a hand to lower their voices, then stood and paced through the hall in thought.

It wasn't as if no one had ever used this method before. In fact, those people had done it far better than they could.

—The Mite'er Family!

They had not only created a regional mercenary-merchant group, but had also sought alliances externally.

In the end, they reached cooperation with merchants from various regions and merged in one breath into a commercial union that covered the entire Jia Ma Empire.

And then...

There was no then.

The stable output of cultivation resources was already closely linked to mercenaries to begin with, and now they had added commercial monopoly on top of that.

It could be said that the Mite'er Family had directly replaced the grassroots structure of the Jia Ma Empire. From commoners to low-level cultivators, people knew only Mite'er and did not recognize Jia Ma.

After that, in each city, all they had left were Auction Houses that did not interfere, while their headquarters also moved to the Imperial Capital, close to the Misty Cloud Sect and the Imperial Palace.

In name, it was called advancing into the Imperial Capital and becoming the largest commercial force officially recognized by the empire.

No matter what, the Xiao Clan had moved out of the Imperial Capital. Everyone present understood the twists and turns within these matters. "Something like this already happened before. Would the Jia Ma side allow it to happen again?"

The Second Elder knitted his brows, but this was not the only troubling matter. "Furthermore, Mite'er may not necessarily sit by and watch us grow."

"And that alchemist... he may not necessarily accompany us in doing something with such unpredictable risks."

The First Elder, who had been idling the entire time, silently added another stab, and this one dealt true damage.

Xiao Zhan stood silently in the hall for a long time, his heart struggling without end.

He was somewhat different from these three old men. From the very beginning, he had never really planned to fight his way back to the Imperial Capital.

If it worked, that would be best; if it didn't, it didn't matter.

Compared with jumping back into the muddy waters of the Imperial Capital, he preferred to be a local rich landlord. Peace and stability would be best.

If a Dou Ling was placed in the Imperial Capital, there were big shots everywhere.

But if placed locally, that would make him a first-rate expert.

The same principle applied.

Moreover, the younger generation of the Xiao Clan all had decent talent and temperament. If they were properly nurtured, producing three to five Dou Lings in the future was not impossible.

Xiao Zhan did not want to give up this opportunity.

There was nothing he could do about Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, but Xiao Yu had already genuinely wasted a bit of her talent. Time waited for no one.

"Three elders... children grow up very quickly..."

Xiao Zhan sighed faintly, and the old men all understood what he meant.

The atmosphere in the Council Hall suddenly grew heavy.

"If there's really no other way, then when the time comes, accept recruitment." The First Elder, leaning back with his eyes closed, lightly tapped the armrest. "At worst, this old man will throw away this old face and beg someone for help."

The Second Elder's cheek twitched slightly.

Who could the Xiao Clan still go and beg now? None other than the Lion Heart Marshal, who had once called the previous clan head his brother.

"Let's set this matter aside for now. We'll discuss it later."

Sure enough, as soon as this matter was mentioned, Xiao Zhan became somewhat vexed and chose to avoid speaking about it on the spot.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The maid knocked on the door, came in, and passed on a message. "Clan Head, three elders, Miss Xiao Yu is waiting outside."

"Oh?"

The elders instantly perked up and straightened their postures one after another.

Even Xiao Zhan visibly relaxed a little, sitting back down and waving a hand. "Let her in."

The maid glanced from afar at the tea bowls in front of them.

"Yes."

"It has been some time since I last saw Yu'er," the First Elder said, stroking his beard, his eyes full of smiles.

"Yes, yes... I wonder how she has been doing at the academy."

The Third Elder also missed her from the bottom of his heart.

Toward this outstanding Canaan student who cultivated diligently, the higher-ups of the Xiao Clan could not be said to place little importance on her.

Especially since the family had grown prosperous these past two years and had not told her...

They felt somewhat guilty in their hearts.

The few people in charge of the Xiao Clan exchanged smiles. The gifts in their arms had long since been prepared for Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yan did not linger long in the clan grounds. After only exchanging a few words, he left the manor and rushed toward Back Mountain.

"Whoosh—"

A heavy black shadow moved through the trees. Aside from the fact that his landings still rang out with a thud, there was almost nothing unusual to be seen in the way he moved and shifted.

Perhaps because his qi and blood were powerful, Xiao Yan adapted to the Xuan Heavy Ruler at a ridiculously fast speed.

Right now, he still found it somewhat difficult to swing, but it was not a big problem. After all, he was still wearing two pairs of shackles.